He's Not My Friend, He's My Son
by tiggrr527
Summary: Someone from Hardcastle's past has decided to get even.
1. Chapter 1

**He's Not My Friend, He's My Son**

Here goes nothing! First of all, I don't own these characters nor do I plan to profit from the use of them. Secondly, this is my first attempt at writing in this fandom. I have tinkered in other ones but they're not as hard to pinpoint the banter as with this one! (Crossing fingers and closing eyes!) And away we go…

It was a beautiful, sun filled day. Mark and the judge were having breakfast by the pool.

"So what's on the agenda for today? There shouldn't be much left to do on the grounds. Since we haven't had a case for a few weeks, I've caught up on my chores."

Before Hardcastle could reply they heard a car. They turned to see who was coming down the drive. Lt. Frank Harper was the unexpected visitor. As he came to the poolside, he said, "Morning guys."

"What brings you out here this time of day, Frank?" Hardcastle asked. "Care for some breakfast, we've got plenty."

"No thanks, I can't stay long. I just wanted to deliver a message in person."

"Oh no, that can't be good if you had to do so in person," McCormick said as he looked to Hardcastle and then back to the Lt.

"I'm not sure if it's even enough to worry about. I'll let you two decide. I got word from one of my sources that Edward Rapetos has come back to town. Supposedly he is just visiting friends but I know that there is a history with you Milt so I thought I would let you know."

Mark looked at the judge to decide what to think by the reaction on the judge's face. Hardcastle kept his face neutral while hearing the news from Frank.

"I'm not too worried about him, Frank. He's been gone for over 5 years and nothing has happened in that time, why now? He said that he knew it wasn't my fault when it all went down. If he was going to get even, he would've had something done by now."

Frank was nodding his head when he answered, "But you never know, so I wanted to give you a heads up, just in case."

"Thanks, but I don't think that I have anything to worry about."

All this time, Mark was just sitting and listening to the conversation between the two men, trying to make heads or tails out of the message. After not hearing any reason for the information, he asked. "What are you two talking about?"

"Don't worry kid, it was something that happened before you were here. I'm sure that it won't affect you," Hardcastle told Mark.

"But what happened?" asked Mark. He looked to Frank and then back to Hardcastle, waiting for the story.

Hardcastle just glared at Mark, letting him know that he needed to just drop it. Frank caught the look as well and knew it was time to go before the argument started.

"Well, I need to get going. I have a ton of work to do today. Let me know if you need any help." With that being said he turned and headed for his car. Hardcastle jumped up and offered to walk him to his car. Frank waved good-bye to Mark.

"I wish you hadn't brought that up in front of McCormick, now he is going to bug the daylights out of me for the story."

"I thought you both had a right to know. I'm telling you Milt, I don't have a good feeling about this. I think you need to let Mark know what happened. If Rapetos comes after you, Mark needs to know why." Frank got in his car and left. Hardcastle walked back to the pool silently agreeing with Frank. McCormick needed to know.

Mark was biding his time until the judge came back from Frank's car to ask more questions. At the same time they both started to talk.

"Now…" said Mark as Hardcastle said "McCormick…" Mark motioned for Hardcastle to continue on.

"McCormick, you don't need to worry but I know that you won't give up bugging me, so let me tell the tale and then you can get back to your chores. About six years ago, Joey Rapetos was brought before me on several charges ranging from blackmail to assault. This wasn't his first trip to the courthouse so he ended going away a long time for his crimes. You may have heard of him at Quentin." Mark shrugged him shoulders. "Well, anyhow, Joey had a bad habit of running his mouth. Kinda like someone else I know. But anyways, he had started bad mouthing a group of short-tempered individuals about unfair rights and the such. Thing was that he insulted the Grado family."

"I have heard of them, Judge. You don't want to mess with them. I've heard that they have killed for snoring too loud. Good thing that you've never slept near them!"

"Ha, ha McCormick. Well, he was in the yard one afternoon and a fight broke out. The guards went to break it up and meanwhile, another one broke out. Five of the Grado employees cornered Joey and beat the daylights out of him. By the time the guards realized what was going on, Joey was hurt bad. He never made it to the next day. One week later, Edward came by here to let me know how he felt."

"_Judge Hardcastle, I want a word with you," Rapetos said when the judge answered the door. "I think we need to get a few things straight now. I know that you're aware of who I am. I also have done some checking on you."_

"_Yeah, so what. What do you want? I don't have all day."_

"_You are the one that sent my son to that hellhole. Because of that he was somewhere without someone watching his back. He was killed a week ago today. I would have liked to have gotten an eye for an eye but unfortunately I won't be able to, as your son is already dead," Rapetos said with a sneer. _

"_Your son was unstable as they came. It's nobody's fault but his own that he is dead. He started trouble with the wrong group. You know that as well as I do."_

"_Wrong!" screamed Rapetos. Just then his driver stepped up to his side. Rapetos looked at him and then back to Hardcastle. "I just wanted to let you know that someday I will find a way to get even with you." He then turned and got back in his car._

"After that he moved to the Caribbean. He took all his family and employees with him. I think Frank is just getting nervous in his old age. I would have heard from some of my snitches by now if he was coming after me after all this time."

"Yeah, maybe Judge, but I still think that I should double check the security system and check with Chick about any rumors."

"Chick, he is about as intelligent as my sneakers. He couldn't figure out the rumor mill if he had a map, but go ahead and waste your time if you want. I'm going to finish checking out our next file. Hey, and remember it's your night to cook."

"Yeah, yeah Judge. How could I forget? I'll be back later."

McCormick headed to the gatehouse to change and then he was on his way to see Chick.

Chick lived in an apartment just above a family diner that had a huge chicken on the sign. He had lived there for some time. McCormick often wondered if the sign had anything to do with Chick's nickname. Mark went upstairs and knocked on the door.

Chick hollered from within, "Come on in Skid."

"How'd you know it was me?"

"Who else drives a car like yours?"

"You got me there…Hey, I was wondering if you could help me with some info on a visitor in town." Mark asked while wandering around in Chick's apartment. You'd never know what would be there. Today there were several boxes of notebooks.

"Who do want to know about?" Chick asked as he started stacking the boxed up by the door.

"Edward Rapetos"

"Whoa there, why? I mean, he isn't someone I would want ticked at me. I hear that he is a little off in the attic."

"I just want to make sure that he isn't back in town to cause trouble for ol' Hardcase. Cause you know that when he gets into trouble, so do I!"

"Damn right there Skid! All I've heard is that he is back paying his respects to his old driver. I guess he died last week of a heart attack and Rapetos came back for the funeral and to help the family."

"Well, that makes me feel a little better knowing that's why he's back." Mark turned and headed for the door. "By the way, what's up with all the paper?"

"Wrong product, it was supposed to be typewriters not notebooks. My supplier messed up and now I have to figure out what to do with it."

Mark just shook his head and chuckled as he left.

Across town, at the home of Elroy Hatkins, the family was sitting out on the patio. Two men were talking quietly to themselves.

"It sure is good to see you again Mr. Rapetos."

"Tony, I was really glad to hear from you last week. I had a feeling that something good was going to happen soon. Too much bad luck as of late. You heard that Michael died in that car wreck last fall didn't you?"

"Yes, Mr. Rapetos, I did. I'm sorry that I didn't make it to the funeral but with the job you have me doing, I figured that we shouldn't be seen together. There would jeopardize all that we have been doing."

"I know Tony. Hopefully soon everything will work out and you can come back with me. Now tell me, what do you have going on?"

"Well, Hardcastle retired about eighteen months ago as I'm sure you know. He took in an ex-con by the name of Mark McCormick to help him close some old cases. At first, I thought that the pairing was way off and that the McCormick kid would take off at first chance. But instead, they seem to have grown into best friends, maybe even as close as father and son."

"This does sound interesting. Continue on."

"Well, I got to thinking that this could be the way to get back at Hardcastle. I mean, if those two are that close, maybe if he loses McCormick, he'll understand your loss. That's where Tina comes in. This McCormick kid likes the ladies. He drives a little red sports car, flashes the smile and ba-bing, he's got the girl. I set it up about 3 weeks ago for the kid to 'bump' into Tina in front of the supermarket. That was 4 dates ago. He thinks her name is Valerie."

"Sounds like you have it all under control. Where do you plan on going from here?"

"This Saturday, they are supposed to go to an early dinner and then back to his place for 'movie night.' She's going to have him stop at her apartment to pick up a 'forgotten movie.' When she goes in the front door, he'll be waiting in the car. That's when we're planning on grabbing him."

"Do you have the guys all picked out for this? How about the place?"

"All that is covered, Sir. I figured that I would pick you up that evening and take you there. Is there anything else you want done before?"

"I want to get a sympathy card and fill it out for Hardcastle. Do you think we can drop it by his place so he gets it right away? I want him to get to this kid just as it is too late to do anything. That should make him suffer even more. I mean, he wasn't there when his real son died. This time, he will know that it's his fault and he didn't do enough."

"I'll have a messenger ready for you sir. I better be going before these people start talking to me. I'll call on Saturday to let you know when I'm picking you up."

"McCormick, hey whatta you doing? Breakfast is getting cold here." Hardcastle stomped back into the kitchen.

"Sorry Judge, I was finishing straightening up the gatehouse. You know that tonight is 'movie night.' And no, we are not watching any Duke movies tonight."

"I bet kiddo that she's a big fan of the Duke, but you're too interested in the scary movies to give her chance."

"Heck yes I'm into the scary ones. When the movie gets scarier, she moves closer. I'm no fool!"

"Hmmrrph, matter of opinion." Hardcastle starts cutting into his ham. "And another thing Romeo, you just remember that we're supposed to meet Frank tomorrow morning at the station to check out that new case.

"I know, Hardcase, I know. I'm a big boy now, I know when its time to go to bed." Hardcastle looks up at McCormick just in time to see his eyebrows waggle and grin from ear to ear.

"I mean it McCormick!"

"I'm just kidding, don't get your shorts in a twist. I've got to go by the movie store and pick up a couple of movies, do you want anything?"

"Naw, I'll be fine.

Later that night, as they are leaving the restaurant, Mark takes Valerie's hand and walks to the car.

"Can we stop by my apartment on the way? I forgot the movie that I was telling you about. My friends were telling me that The Dead Zone is a real scream!"

"Sure thing. Just don't take too long!"

As they pull up to her apartment, she gets out and runs in. Mark pulls forward a little as someone else pulls up behind him. He figured they were dropping someone off that lived there. He closes his eyes and listens to the radio as he waits on Valerie. Next thing he knows, someone is tapping his shoulder. He turns to see who it is and is greeted by a goliath of a man.

"Umm, can I help you? Am I in your way? If so, I can move."

"Get out of the car!"

"What did I do? Are you sure you have the right guy?"

"Yes, I have the right guy, now get out or I'll get you out myself."

"Ok, ok, I'm moving." As Mark opens the door, he tries to slam his shoulder into the big guy only to be knocked back, like he had ran into a brick wall. The guy pulled out a gun and pointed it at Mark.

"That wasn't very smart. Do you want to see me get mad?"

"Oh no, I just had to try, you know. What is this all about? Do I know you?"

"You'll just have to wait and find out. Now are you going to come willingly or do I get to bring you my way?"

"I just want to know why, call me a curious guy."

"You've been messing with the wrong girl and her boyfriend wants to make sure you understand."

"What boyfriend! She said that she was single. I didn't know. Let him know that I'll stop now, especially since I know now."

"That's not good enough, now get in the car."

Mark gets in the car while trying to think of how to get out of this situation. They drive for about a half an hour before coming to the warehouse district. Mark starts getting more nervous as they stop in front of a warehouse at the end of the street.

"Get out and don't try anything funny. Go around to the side door, it should be unlocked."

"Can't we just talk about this? I get the point, ok, she is off limits."

"Move."

Mark starts for the warehouse door. _Hardcastle is going to have field day with this when he finds out. He keeps telling me that I pick the wrong ones, and of course, he is right again._

As they step through the door, Mark tries to look around for options but the lighting was very poor. Slowly, he keeps walking, dreading what was about to happen. As he nears the center of the room he notices that there are 2 storage trailers off of their axles sitting in the middle of the warehouse in a L shape. _Oh great, the proverbial corner in the middle of the room. This isn't looking good._

"Ok, that's far enough."

"Well, I guess this is it, you got your point across. Can I go now?"

Just as Mark was finished asking the others came into the room. There was an older man and 2 others that could be linebackers for all that Mark knew. The older guy looked familiar but he must have been from a long time ago in Mark's past. The face he remembered was a younger one.

"Thank you for coming Mr. McCormick. I am so glad that you could help me out this way."

"Do I know you? You look vaguely familiar."

"We have never met but I understand that you probably met my youngest son and he resembled me a lot. His name was Joey."

Suddenly, everything became clear. Revenge!

"He was in Quentin. He got himself into trouble one last time that he couldn't get himself out of, right?"

"He was ganged up on because of his name! My Joey was not a troublemaker!"

"Ok, that's why he got sentenced for that many years, right?"

As Mark finished his sentence, Edward lunged at him. Tony grabbed Edward and pulled him back. "Easy there, Boss, let's do this like we had planned. Don't let him get the best of you. It's 8:30 so George should have dropped the card off by now. Let's get this done and get the hell out of here."

As Edward pulled himself together, he nodded his agreement to Tony.

"Let's get this over with so I can finally let Joey rest."

The other two guys that had been standing to the side come closer as Edward motioned to them. One of the guys is swinging a small version of a ball bat and the other was sliding brass knuckles onto his hand.

Mark started backing up and Tony pushed him toward the trailers. The picture coming to his mind was not one that he liked.

"Hey, I don't know why you think that I need to be involved. Your beef is with Hardcastle, not me. I just work for the guy." Just as he finished his sentence, ball bat guy swung and hit Mark in the stomach, doubling him over. Tony grabbed his hair and pulled his head back up. Then the guy with the brass knuckles hit Mark across the face. They kept that up for several minutes. Mark's eyes were swollen and he had several places bleeding on his face. Tony had held him while the other two worked him over. When Mark couldn't stand any longer, Tony let him fall to the floor.

Mark wasn't unconscious, just dazed enough to not try to move. He was trying to think of a way to get out of this before it got any worse. After a few minutes, Tony pulled him back up and the beatings began again. This time, they aimed more for his ribs and stomach area. He knew that with the way the guys were armed that it wouldn't take long for major damage.

Just then, Edward spoke up, "How much more do you think he can take?"

"I'm pretty sure that he is nearing the end of his rope," Tony answered. "Besides, I'm sure that ol' Hardcastle has found the card by now. He'll be getting a hold of the police and figuring out where we are shortly."

"True, lets finish this. I think that instead of killing him, make sure that Hardcastle will think of me every time he looks at the kid."

"What do you have in mind? I think shooting him would draw attention even quicker than we planned."

Rapetos just sneered and said, "I know that the kid loves driving that sports car of his. How about making it to where he can't drive that anymore."

"Making sure that his shifting arm is out of commission is a good idea. The old judge won't be able to look the kid in the eye when he knows that he is the reason that the kids racing days are over. You heard him boys. How about making sure that his right arm is useless."

The two thugs looked at each other and smirked. This was the reason they came highly recommended. Smacking the bat in his hand while the other guy rolled Mark over, he thought about the places to hit to cause the most damage. Three good hits should take care of him. With that, he swung at the first spot. Mark was out cold but when the first hit landed, he cried out loud and tried to pull his arm to his side. Unfortunately, it was being held tight by the other goon. While he was trying to move his arm, the second blow came. Mark came to with it and cried out loud again. This time, telling them to stop. Just as the third swing was to fall, sirens were heard. The four men looked at each other and as one, ran to the car that they had waiting. Edward looked back at Mark as he was getting into the car and stated, "Let the judge know that I'll let him know if we are even."

Mark just laid there, trying to get a grip on the pain. He hurt all over and more than he had ever before. "Juugsh, pleassse hurry..." he whispered. He was torn, he didn't' want to feel the pain anymore but he wanted to be awake when Hardcastle got there. He could hear the sirens, they sounded like they were right outside. He strained to listen for any sounds from around the building, for signs that they had found him. Mark was teetering on the edge of blackness when he heard the door and Hardcastle's bellow. "McCormick, McCormick, you in here?"

As loud as he could, "Jugsh, help..."

Hardcastle heard something and headed in the that direction. What he seen took his breath away. McCormick was curled up on the floor, moaning and writhing. His face was swollen and bloody. You could tell by the look of his right arm that it was broken in multiple places. Milt bent down and gently touched Mark's shoulder, "Hold on Mark, we'll get some help in here shortly." Hardcastle turned to look for Frank. "Frank, where the hell is that ambulance? We need it now!"

"They just radioed with a 5 min eta. Just hang on!" Frank said as he motioned where he wanted his guys to start checking. The officers that arrived with them, spread out and started looking for clues from the scene.

Hardcastle turned back to McCormick. He was afraid of touching him for fear of hurting him more. All he could think to do was talk to him. "Just hang on Mark, help will be here as soon as possible." Mark tried to talk and the judge shushed him. "Just be quiet, save your strength. I hear the ambulance, just relax and hold on."

Mark wanted to tell him how much he appreciated everything that the judge had done for him, cause he knew he was in bad shape. Hardcastle kept telling him to be quiet. He tried once more to talk, "juugsh, I nneed to ttell you ..." "That can wait until later when you feel better.

The paramedics rushed in to where Mark laid. They started taking his vitals, asking Hardcastle what had happened. Hardcastle tried to tell all that he knew. Mark kept trying to talk but the Judge shushed him. Once they had an IV started, they loaded Mark onto the gurney and put him in the ambulance. One of the paramedics turned to Hardcastle and indicated that he could ride in the back with them if he hurried.

"Let me know what you find out Frank. I'll be at the hospital."

"I'll be by as soon as I can, tell the kid to hold on. We'll get this figured out."

Hardcastle climbed in the back and the driver closed the door then hurried around and jumped into the driver seat. As fast as they could, they navigated through the streets to get to St. Mary's Hospital. Nurses and orderlies came rushing out as soon as they pulled up to the ER doors.

As they wheeled him into a room, with a doctor at his side yelling for readings and tests to be done, a nurse intercepted Hardcastle and directed him to the waiting room. She handed him a clipboard with insurance papers as well, instructing him to fill them out and she would bring him news as it became available.

As Hardcastle sat in the room, with its pale yellow walls and hard plastic chairs, he tried to focus on the paperwork. All that kept going through his mind was the card that was dropped at his door tonight, forecasting what would happen to McCormick because of him. What had he done? He never thought about someone else getting hurt because of his actions. He would never have started this if he thought this would happen. He shook himself, to remind himself that he needed to get the paperwork done so that Mark could get all the help he needs. No matter the cost, Mark would get all that he needs.

After the paperwork was done, Hardcastle takes it to the desk and questions the nurse on any new information. She looks at him and shakes her head no. "Please just try to wait patiently sir. They are doing everything that they can to help him. Someone will be out to let you know as soon as they know what Mr. McCormick is facing." Hardcastle nods his head and slowly heads back to the waiting room.

He has been in the waiting room for almost an hour and a half when Frank shows up. "How's he doing?"

"I'm still waiting to hear something. I can't believe it taking this long.,"Hardcastle says as he rubs his head, trying to ward off the headache building.

"Milt, he was pretty banged up. I'm sure that they are just trying to be thorough."

"Yeah, yeah, I know. Just very frustrating. Did you find anything to tie this to Rapetos?"

"Not anything at the scene, they were very careful about leaving any traces."

Just then the Doctor comes out from the emergency room, walking toward the waiting room. He is almost 6 feet tall, salt and pepper hair and very tired looking. He swipes his hand over his face before he calls out for family belonging to Mark McCormick.

Hardcastle jumps up and extends his hand to the doctor, introducing himself. "Judge Hardcastle, I'm all the family that McCormick has. This is Lt. Frank Harper, a close friend also."

"I'm Dr. Garrett, I've been the one trying to help your friend. Let's walk this way to my office to discuss how Mr. McCormick is doing."

The two friends followed the doctor down the hall to the third door on the right. "Please have a seat gentlemen."

"I don't mean to be rude but how is he doing?" Judge asked as the doctor closed the door.

"Please sit down and I will let you know all that we know up to now."

Frank and the Judge sat down in the leather chairs.

TBC

All reviews are very welcome! I will try to get the balance of this up in the next week, if life doesn't interrupt!


	2. Chapter 2

Well, I am so humbled by the response I have gotten on my first part of this story! Thank you for the suggestions and nice words. I am definitely learning more. I have not gotten a beta yet so all mistakes are definitely mine. Sorry if it ruins the story for you.

Sorry for the delay and another continuance. Real life is kicking me in the seat of the pants and I am heading into 2 weeks of 12 hours shifts. If I survive, I will try to get this wrapped up by the end of the month. Thanks for your patience!

I do not own any of the characters that belonged in the original series but I do lay claim to my few additional characters. No money made from this, unfortunately!

Remember we are just hearing from the doctor...

HMHMHMHM

"Judge Hardcastle and Lt. Harper, Mr. McCormick is extremely lucky to be alive. He has received numerous blows to the face and torso, resulting in a severe concussion to begin with. His eyes are swollen shut and we can't even start to guess what damage is there until the swelling goes down. He has 15 stitches along his right cheekbone to close up the laceration, which we are guessing he got from a blow from brass knuckles. Thankfully his jaw isn't broken but he will only be able to eat soft foods for awhile until the bruising goes away."

Hardcastle and Harper looked at each other as the doctor was listing off what was wrong with Mark, each knowing that the road ahead for the young man was going to be painful and long.

"That is only the start of what we have found so far. He has excessive bruising on his torso as well. He also has 3 broken ribs on his left side and 4 cracked ones on his left. His kidneys are bruised and we will be monitoring for blood in his urine. He is going to be down for sometime."

"You have made quite a list of his injuries but you haven't mentioned his arm. I seen it and I know it was broken. Exactly how bad?" Hardcastle asked while he looked the doctor in the eye.

"His right arm is broken indeed. The men that did this to Mr. McCormick were very violent. He had to have been struck at least twice with a very heavy object to cause the damage to his arm. His arm is shattered in two places. We will be taking him up to surgery shortly to see if we can do anything with it. I am hoping that we will be able to do something to save it. I am waiting on an orthopedic doctor, Dr. Jennings, to arrive so that he will be in the operating room as we operate. He is the best in his field in this area. If anyone can save Mr. McCormick's arm, it will be him."

Frank looked at Hardcastle as the doctor was finishing telling about the surgery and was very thankful that they were sitting down. The judge was completely void of any color in his face. His head was down, looking at his hands. Slowly, Hardcastle looked up to the doctor and asked, "Can I see him before you take him up? He has to know that we're here for him."

"Very briefly. Just remember that he is completely under and will probably not know that you're there."

Hardcastle slowly rose from the chair and started to follow the doctor. Frank snagged Hardcastle's arm as he was leaving. "I'm going to go call Claudia and let her know what's going on. I'll be back shortly."

Hardcastle nodded and caught up with Dr. Garret. Not looking forward to seeing Mark like this but knowing that he needed to let the kid know that his 'family' was here for him, Milt continued on. Once they got to the exam room, Dr. Garret turned to Hardcastle and stopped him before he went in. "Just remember that he has had a lot of trauma and even though you seen him before, he is still pretty badly hurt."

Milt walked in and as soon as his eyes landed on Mark, he nearly lost his breath. The doctor wasn't kidding. Mark looked awful. He was several shades of purples and reds. His face was so distorted from the swelling that if it wasn't for the hair, Hardcastle would doubt if it was Mark was laying there. The judge walked up to the gurney and started to put his hand on Mark's but was hesitant as he was afraid of hurting him more. So instead, he stood by the rail and started talking to McCormick.

"Hey Kiddo," he whispered. "I know that you probably can't hear me but I just wanted to let you know that we are gonna get the guys that did this. Frank is already doing everything in his power to find Rapetos and his crew. You just need to do what the doctors tell you to do and get better. I'll be waiting out here until they let me back in to see you." Hardcastle was having more and more trouble talking. He was a man that didn't show the emotions but this was hitting too close. He had lost his son without telling him how much he loved him and here was Mark, as much his son as possible, and he never has told him how he felt. Maybe this was the time to start telling him. "Well kid, I have to be going now but I want you to know...that we may not be blood but...we are family. I need you son."

Just then the nurse came in to let Hardcastle know that it was time to take Mark up to surgery."We'll let you know where you can wait once he is out of surgery." Hardcastle nodded, wiped the back of his hand across this nose and left the room.

HMHMHMHM

Frank did not look forward to the call home to Claudia. She had taken quite a liking to McCormick and considered him and the Judge as part of their family. She was shaken up pretty bad but made Frank promise to let the Judge know that she would be by later to check on him and Mark. After Frank got off the phone with her, he let out a long sigh, wiping his hand over his face and trying to gather himself before finding Hardcastle again. He headed in the direction of the ER waiting room to see if he could catch him there. As he entered the waiting room, he noticed that Hardcastle was in the corner, with his head in his hands. Frank cleared his throat as he approached him so as not to startle him. "Any word?"

Hardcastle looked up at him and shook his head, afraid of losing what little control he had on his emotions. Frank looked at him and knew not to push right now. He sat down in the hard plastic chair next to him, to wait. Less than a half an hour, a nurse came out and asked for any family there for McCormick. The two men stood and walked to her. "They have taken your friend up to surgery now. You can go up to the second floor and wait in the waiting room for surgery. If you take this elevator up, once you step out into the hall, turn to your left and the waiting room will be the fourth door on your right. Someone will come out and get you when he gets out of surgery."

"Thanks," mumbled Hardcastle. "You don't have to hang around here Frank, I'm sure you have other things to do."

"Mark is my friend too, Milt. I want to be here when he gets out of surgery. After that, then I'll head out."

Hardcastle nods his head and pats Frank on the shoulder as they walk into the elevator. They ride in silence up to the second floor. When they get to the waiting room, Frank heads straight for the coffee pot and gets them each a cup. He's glad that there are only a couple of people in the room. He hands one cup to Milt and sipped on his as he was sitting down. Hardcastle didn't seem to register the cup in his hand. Frank decided to himself to keep a close eye on him, knowing this was really hard on the Judge.

After nearly three and a half hours, Drs. Garrett and Jennings come into the room. Again, the two men rise to meet them. Dr. Garrett motioned for them to sit back down and the two doctors sat down across from them. "Judge Hardcastle and Lt. Harper, this is Dr. Emory Jennings, the orthopedic surgeon I was telling you about." Dr. Jennings reached out and shook hands with Hardcastle and Frank.

"I understand that Dr. Garrett explained somewhat of what Mr. McCormick is up against." Without waiting for an answer, he went on. "The damage sustained to his right arm was very bad but we were able to repair enough to save the arm."

Hardcastle let out the breath he was holding. _Maybe this will be alright._

"I had to put several rods and plates into his arm to make an effort at setting the bones. Unfortunately, the problem is with the damage to the tendons, ligaments and muscle along the damaged areas on that arm. After the swelling goes down from the surgery, approximately 24 to 48 hours, then the arm will be placed in a cast. It will take at least 6 weeks for the bones to begin to heal enough to try to move the arm at all. At 6 weeks, he will need to come in and get an x ray of the arm and we will decide what to do from there."

"So will he be able to get full use of his arm after the cast comes off?" Hardcastle asked, hoping for more good news.

"At this time, I can't really say for sure. You need to keep in mind the damage I mentioned earlier. He has had the tendons and muscles ripped from the bones in his arm. We tried to graft and reconstruct as much as possible but with that amount of damage, I can't promise that he will be able to use that arm as he used to."

"What do you mean, not be able to use it? Like for lifting heavy stuff or what?" Frank asked.

"I mean use it for anything. I'm not sure he will be able to lift it, let alone using it for normal use."

With that being said, Hardcastle felt like someone had sucker punched him. He looked at Frank and then to the two doctors, hoping that he wasn't hearing them correctly. "When will you know the true extent of the damage?"

"Once the cast is off and the rehab starts, the therapist will do an evaluation on the range of motion then. Goals will be set and physical movements will begin. After one month, another evaluation will be done. Some idea to the long term recovery level will be determined then. Mind you, this will only be a guide to go by, not an actual prognosis. Every case is different, every patient can do things differently. A lot will depend on how hard Mark will push himself too. He is going to need a lot of support and help to get to the place he wants to be. Can you be there for him?"

"Be there for him? Where else would I be? Its my fault this happened...because some nut case had to blame someone for his son's screw up. No matter what, I am there for McCormick."

"Just remember that this will be a difficult journey. Emotional and physical pain as well as the frustration of trying to get back to where he was. Are you willing to help with that too? This is where I generally stress to the family that patience will be a required part of this package. Can you commit to this? Because if you can't be there for Mark, then you will be more of a hinder to his recovery."

Hardcastle was blown away by the way the doctor talked to him. Who did he think he was anyways? He didn't know the relationship between him and McCormick and yet he was trying to make it seem like this was going to be too hard to deal with. Sure, he didn't tell the kid how he felt but he was pretty sure that Mark knew, right? Hardcastle turned to Frank, hoping to see understanding in his eyes.

Frank looked back at Milt and said, "Doc, if you only knew how these two worked. The judge, here, will be the best thing for Mark. If anyone can get him motivated, it will be him. I know you want to know that your patient will get what he needs, trust me, Hardcastle is the man to do it."

With that said, the four men rose and shook hands again.

"I wish you good luck and if you have any questions, please feel free to call anytime."

To be continued...


	3. Chapter 3

I'm sorry for the extreme delay in continuing this story but real life is being a bear right now! As I stated before, all mistakes are mine. I have tried to proofread this as best I can but I'm sure there are still mistakes, please forgive. I am making no money off of this, just hoping to get a few reviews!

Now, on with the show!

Frank and Milt watched the doctors leave, both men having heavy thoughts after the talk with the doctors. Frank turned to Hardcastle, saying" I better give Claudia a call and let her know what we're looking at. You know she's going to want to be here for you both."

"I know and I appreciate it but I don't know what she could possibly do right now. If she wants to hold off until Mark is awake, that would probably work best. I'm sure Mark will enjoy her visits then."

Hardcastle looked like he had aged 10 years after talking to the doctors, which Frank understood. From the sounds of things, it going to be a long process to get back to normal.

"I will let her know but I'm not making any promises, you know how she gets when she makes up her mind. Are you going to be alright for awhile? I really need to get back and see where the investigation is going."

Thats fine and keep me up to date. I want these guys but I'm not going anywhere until I'm sure Mark is going to be fine. The least I can do is to be here for him." _Since I let him down before._

Frank didn't like the look on Hardcastle's face, like guilt was trying to take over. Unfortunately Frank knew that Mark was the only person that was going to be able to get Milt over that feeling. Hopefully soon.

HMHMHMHMHMHM

The doctors had told the judge that a nurse would be out to get him when they got Mark settled into ICU. He also knew that he was only going to be allowed for 15 minutes an hour while in ICU. Milt tried to get himself ready for what Mark looked like. About a half an hour after Frank left, the nurse came and got him. She led him past several curtained rooms before stopping in front of room 7. "He is hooked to several machines to monitor how he is doing so please try not to be alarmed. He is also on a ventilator to make it less stressful on his body while it is trying to heal."

Hardcastle took a deep breath and stepped through the door. Even after the words from the nurse and trying to brace himself in the waiting room, it still wasn't enough to soften the blow of seeing Mark laying in the bed, very still. The only sounds of the machines in the room were an eerie addition to the situation. He felt his knees start to give before pulling himself together and walking the rest of the distance to the bed. He looked down at Mark, wanting to touch him to make sure that he was indeed still with him but afraid to touch him anywhere for fear of hurting him. The nurse seemed to know what was going through the judge's mind.

"You can touch him, Mr. Hardcastle. He is on medication to keep him asleep for awhile to let his body heal. You aren't going to hurt him and I firmly believe that the patients, even deeply asleep, can sense their loved ones near. It seems to be a vital part in their recovery, so please don't hesitate."

Milt looked at the nurse, amazed at her insight. "First off, please call me Milt. Secondly, I just don't want to cause more problems. He's all I have left of family and I've been too stubborn to tell him that. I don't want to screw this up too."

The nurse smiled at him and said, "I have a feeling that he knows how you feel, even without the words, so just be yourself with him and I think you will do just fine." With saying that, she turned and left the room.

Milt takes a hold of Mark's hand and starts talking.

To be continued...

I'm sorry for the short chapter but I felt I owed at least a little bit for the wonderful, patient people whom have taken the time to review and favorite this. I am on vacation in another week. I'm hoping to get this wrapped up then. Thanks!


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